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Words by: Simon Freeman. Photography by: Simon Dugué and Mountains Legacy. 

Driving towards Chamonix from the south-west along the Route Blanche, the mountains seem like an impenetrable wall. Mont Blanc towers in the distance, awesome and imposing. The more immediate barrier is a range of gray rock, like the walls of a citadel, protecting a magical kingdom.

 Today, a snaking road sitting on stilts lifts visitors up and into the mountains, making the trip relatively easy. But just a few hundred years ago, the journey was more arduous. Legend has it, the cleft between the cliffs that served as access was so tight that they had to remove the wheels of their horse-drawn carriages so the vehicles could be manhandled through the gap.

 Clearly there’s something special about this place that makes the effort worthwhile. On trail athlete and chef, Gregoire Curmer’s guide to Chamonix explores what that is. 

 Meet your guide: Gregoire Curmer

Gregoire is a true local, having grown up around the Chamonix valley. As a child, he had plenty of opportunities to explore the mountains, with his parents as guides. Like so many people who call the Chamonix Valley home, Gregoire tried his hand at every outdoor pursuit going: from hiking, climbing and mountain biking in the summer to skiing in the winter. But it was only later that Gregoire found that mountain running was his calling, and in a rather unexpected way.

Professionally, Gregoire is a full-time chef in one of Chamonix’s culinary hot-spots: a restaurant called Le Cap-Horn (see below for restaurant recommendations). Gregoire’s professional training took him away from Chamonix to culinary school in Nottingham in the UK, and it was there that Gregoire started running, along the flat banks of the River Trent. Unusually, Gregoire was well into his 20s by the time he started competing in trail running – older than many of his competitors. Today, at 32-years-old, he still reflects youthful passion and determination. After his stint in Nottingham – which followed time honing his kitchen skills in Paris and Lyon – Gregoire returned to Chamonix and kept running.

In 2013, having returned to his childhood home with his new-found passion, Gregoire was encouraged by a friend to enter the 90km (55m) race that is part of the Marathon du Mont Blanc. “I finished sixth,” explains Gregoire. “I immediately loved it and realized I had the ability to compete.”

From that auspicious start, Gregoire has competed in many mountain races, his most recent success being a silver medal at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Wales in May 2023. 

“I couldn’t train as well through the winter,” Gregoire recalls, “I raced in Wales after a season on skis. It wasn’t necessarily for the podium but to gauge my fitness at the start of trail season. Second place proved my capability and validated my place for UTMB 2024.”

Gregoire plans to continue this momentum, with every season and challenge informing his next steps, “I learned this year how skiing has kept me fit and led to some great running outings – this is all making for some more positive results in the future.”

Food for the soul

 While Gregoire is a formidable racer by day, his profession sees him working late into the night as a sous-chef at one of Chamonix’s most exciting restaurants.

 “Working in a kitchen brings massive pressure,” says Gregoire “And that’s not unlike racing. At the same time, the training that I do to be the best athlete I can also means I have the capacity to withstand the long hours and physical nature of my work.”

The Chamonix Valley is part of the Haute-Savoie region, which stretches from Lake Geneva in the north to the Mont Blanc massif in the south. One of the most notable aspects of this region is the food. The main form of farming in the region is dairy, and the area’s most famous dishes reflect that.

“The most popular dishes in Chamonix,” says Gregoire, “are Fondue Savoyarde and raclette. Although these are not really my favorites.”

The fondue is probably the best-known dish from the region, most commonly taking the form of a communal pan – known as a “caquelon” – filled with melted cheese, into which diners dip chunks of bread.

The raclette sees a huge block of cheese set on the table under a heat lamp, from which diners scrape globs of melted cheese onto boiled potatoes. Another traditional dish is Tartiflette, where cooked potatoes, bacon and onion are covered in (yes, you guessed it) cheese and baked in the oven.

Gregoire’s favorite local dish is Farcon. This is a round cake made from potato, prunes and raisins, covered in bacon and baked in the oven. While this dish is harder to find than other Savoyard specialities, you can order it at La Cremerie du Glacier, above the town of Argentier, which is a short bus ride or a 9km run along the valley floor from Chamonix town center. 

Trail routes: The mountains are calling

 To balance out the richness of the Haute-Savoie food, there are endless adventures to take on in the mountains. And perhaps the most popular (at least when the snow has melted) is trail running.

The mountains that loom above Chamonix can look intimidating to newcomers – but as any local will tell you, they’re more accessible than they appear.

Getting started on the trails

For those looking to experience trail running in the region for the first time, the Petit Balcon Sud is ideal. On the side of the valley facing Mont Blanc, this well-tended route follows the mountain-side contours a few hundred meters above the town. 

Gliding through the pine forests, with glimpses of the imposing Mont Blanc across the valley, this route – like many in the valley – is well sign-posted and provides runners with a great first experience or, for those who are already well-versed in trail running, an easy route to get back into the mountains.

A bigger challenge

On the Mont Blanc side of the valley is the Grand Balcon Nord. Based on the same principle as the Petit Balcon Sud, this route follows the contours between the Montenvers train station and the mid-station of the Aiguille du Midi cable car. 

Higher and more exposed than the route on the other side of the valley, many runners choose to climb more than 1,000m (3,280ft) from the valley floor to the start of the trail. But it’s possible to take the train to Montenvers or the cable car to the mid-station of the Aiguille du Midi arriving at one end of the trail. 

This trail is a bigger challenge than the Petit Balcon Sud, but as you pass waterfalls and through clumps of pine trees, the breathtaking views are worth the effort. 

Gregoire’s favorite route 

One of the routes Gregoire enjoys running is known as the Aiguillette des Houches. A loop to the west of Chamonix, the start and finish points are at the Parc de Merlet. From there, runners climb to the refuge at Bel Lachat, then drop down to meadows at Carla Veyron before climbing to the Aiguillette des Houches and finally returning to the start point via the chalets at Chailloux. 

It's worth noting that there are exposed sections of this route that require climbing steel rungs hammered into the rocks whilst using a fixed handrail – it’s not for the faint-hearted. If you’re accomplished enough to make it, the view across the valley to the Mer de Glace and the Dru is your reward. 

Going out: Chamonix’s top spots

 Le Cap-Horn – the restaurant where Gregoire works. Offering an innovative, Japanese-inspired menu under a vaulted ceiling, expect great cuisine and a memorable night out – especially at the weekends when the buzzy atmosphere reaches fever pitch.

 Moody’s Coffee Roasters – a tiny café which boasts the best beans in Chamonix, Moody’s is a roastery as well as a spot to enjoy an expertly brewed coffee. Get there early and the freshly baked cinnamon rolls are worth the visit alone.

 Chalet de La Floria – located just above the Petit Balcon Sud, this sunny terrace, bursting with flowers and offering local produce, is a perfect respite if you’re trekking through the mountains, and a great spot to head for lunch with incredible views. 

 Aiguille du Midi – At 3,842m (12,604ft) above sea-level, this impossible-looking building sits on a sharp pinnacle of rock, and brings you up close with the Mont Blanc mountain range. A 20-minute cable car ride, with vertiginous drops beneath your feet, delivers you to a marvel of engineering. Once at the top, after you’ve taken a breath and taken in the views (including the glass-bottomed box that allows you to step out into the void) you can kick back in the café or relax in the restaurant and plan your next adventure.